Nick Cave fans?

Zaikesman,

Should have guessed you'd show up here!! I'll look into Birthday Party...thanks for the rec.

Sean, yes I heard his recent shows have been great; power-packed, raw, and intelligent. He's a really smart, and angry, guy...good combination for interesting music!

I saw his "acoustic" No More Shall We Part tour. The band was Nick on grand piano, a bass player, a drummer (?? I think??), and whatshisface from The Dirty 3 on violin. I never saw a Bad Seeds show, but I was impressed by the dynamics and power of the band. There were quite a few amazing moments. Some of his songs (especially lyrics) can be a bit much at times, but I enjoyed them much more live than recorded. A lot of his newer stuff reminds me of a 2nd rate Richard Thompson...the way he repeats and builds...repeats and builds. It's quite effective on some songs and a little boring on others. That said, I was still very impressed by the live show and would gladly go see him again.

He has a new album coming out in February.

Interesting observations, Phild! But, "2nd rate Richard Thompson?!"

At first I was offended, but then I reconsidered. Richard Thompson (with and w/o Linda) is one of my all-time favorite musicians/singer/songwriters, so at some level, anyone else is indeed 2nd rate (except Dylan!).

I can't wait for the new album. Thanks for the heads-up!

Hi Cpdunn99...

Yep, I meant is as a backhanded compliment. I'd kill to be a 5th rate Richard Thompson! :-) I think Richard Thompson is one of the most amazing, dynamic live acts and his albums are usually pretty great too. I called Nick Cave second rate because I think he could take a few more tricks from Richard's bag and learn to edit himself a bit better at times. I think Nick's very good and he's an amazing performer, but not yet quite as good a songwriter as Richard Thompson is. Bob Mould had similar issues when he went into RT mode on his "Workbook" album (but I still loved it).

Me, too (i.e., being a 5th rate RT)! RT has even been throwing in a Britney Spears song (Oops, I did it again) into some of his shows! What it proves, is that he's a musical alchemist!! He can make anything into gold...he's simply fantastic. Maybe a RT thread next?!